Spiritual reflections, family, home educating typical and special needs children ~
Dedicated to: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn.
"Rejoice in hope, persevere in tribulations, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12
Certe bonum certanem! Fight the good fight!

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Photocopy c. 2013 Jamie Laubacher

Monday, February 12, 2007

Just Say: Johnny Marzetti

Another favorite and fast winter dish of ours is Johnny Marzetti. Say what?...Who? :) Yes, you can read a bit about Johhny in the Post-Gazette article below and learn a little bit about Ohio history. Ah, Real Learning! Keep in mind there are several variations of this delicious casserole - if you "google" you are apt to find many that differ in some way, but the "basics" to Johnny Marzetti will be there. For instance, we prefer the bigger egg noodles, compared to the elbow macaroni noodle used in some recipes.

This is a nice dish to put together quickly and inexpensively; great for the homeschool dinner melt-down! In our home, the bulk of our home education happens between the hours of 9 am through 2:30/3:00 pm. I love good casseroles that are taking care of themselves in the oven! I start to put the casserole together after school hours while the children help tidy up and prepare for our evening. While the entree is baking we can enjoy some unwinding with free time. Mom needs this time especially, a little refresher after a day's schooling, prior to the arrival of dad and sitting down to dinner. I like to put on some lovely background music and light a candle at this time of day to help transition myself into a less hurried-busy atmosphere while turning my thoughts in thankfulness to God for the blessings of each day of family and the privilege of schooling in the home. A lit candle does easily remind us of the light of Christ always present. And this little ritual does seem to help the children unwind as well. (We also light a candle in the morning - to begin our day with our thoughts turned to Him, with Him and in Him, continually).

Okay then! Happily and coincidently, our seven year old is making his First Reconciliation this next Sunday, the 18th (yea Michael!) Afterward, our parish hosts a dinner for the families, and the main entree this year by our resident Chef is none other than: ala' Johnny Marzetti. Served with a salad and rolls, and a small dish of ice cream with wafer-cookie, this will be a delightful ending to a beautiful sacrament and day.

What's Johnny Marzetti? Johnny Marzetti is a casserole created in the 1920s by the owner of the Marzetti Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Who was Johnny Marzetti? According to the "American Century Cookbook" by Jean Anderson, Johnny Marzetti was the brother of the owner of the Marzetti Restaurant.

Casseroles steamrolled into the kitchen in the 1940s and have remained popular staples to this day. The Johnny Marzetti casserole was popular in the mid '50s and early '60s. It consists of meat, pasta and either tomato sauce, soup or juice.